Valve geae foe steam engines



(No Model.) 4 Sheds-Sheet 1.

B, coml .VALVE GEAR' FOR` STEAM ENGINES.

NQ. 531,409. tedvfD'ec. 25, i894.

(No Model.)

4 abats-#sheet `2. M. B. COPE.

' Y VALVE GEAR FOR STEAM ENGINES.

Patented Dec. 25,-'18-'943 M. E. COPE.-

VALYE GEAE EOE STEAM ENGINES. No. t' 31,4o9.y Patented Dee. 25.1894.

./--EVT/ if t@ (NcsModel.) 4ls'neets-she`et 4.

I M- B COPE- VALVE GEAR POR STEAM ENGINES.

E Patented Deo.25, 1894.]

description thereof.

' 'UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

MELVIN B. CQPE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

VALVE-G EAR FOR STEAM-ENGINES..

sPEcIFrcATroN forming pm ef Lettere Patent No. e1,4o9,'aete`a Deeember 25, 1894.

I Application iilerl Febrnary17,1894. Serial No. 500,450. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVIN B. Corn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Gear for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact -tion of the exhaustfvalves inconjunction with said supply valves.

In View of the foregoing said invention consists in certain peculiarities lof construction and combination of parts hereinafter specified with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequentlyclaimed. l' y In the drawings: Figure l represents aside elevation of a stationary slide-valve steamengine embodying my improvements'. Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrams representing the action of. my improved governor-controlled mechan ism employed to open the supply-valves of the engine-cylinder and insure their cut-0E at various points within the limits of the pistonstroke. Fig. 4 represents a wiper and lever that constitute part of the' improved valvegear, the illustration'being a plan partly in approximate horizontal section. Fig. 5 represents a detail plan view of a portion of ksaid valve-gear and isdesigned to particularlyy illustrate a pallet that constitutes part of the valve-gear. Fig. 6 represents a detail section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3. ',Fig. 7 represents a vertical longitudinalsection taken through the engine cylinder. Fig. 8 represents aseotion taken onlineS-S of the preceding figure, and Fig. 9 represents a detail plan View of the y specific form of exhaust-valve embodiedin the engine herein illustrated. l

Referring by letter to the drawings 'A represents the frame; B, the cylinder; C, the piston; D, the pitman; E, the crank-shaft; F, the' eccentric; G, the wrist-plate, and H the govengines."

As herein shown the supply and exhaust present invention is concerned any of the various Well known valves may be substituted for those aforesaid, and in any case a spring I or other suitable means may be employed to effect an automatic'closing of each `supply valve J subsequent to a trip of the peculiar governor-controlled' specified. e.

' Cranks K are arranged on the engine-cyl inder andconnected to the stems of th'e valves gear' hereinafter J constitute the primary actuating devices for said valves and it -is essential to the suc- Vbeing to support and preserve the horizontal alignment Vof said push-bars. Whether in :direct or indirect pivotal connection with the primary valve-actuating devices, the pallets L have levers L extended therefrom and these arms are linked to the wrist-plateG of the engine.

Rising from the engine-cylinder are standards N, and hung on these standards are pendulum-arms O also in link-connection with the aforesaid wrist-plate. Pivots b project laterally from the pendulum arms and serve as supports for bifurcated leversP that are connected by rodscwith a pivotal yoke Q having spring-controlled crank-and-link connection with the governor H, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. l.

y -Loose onthe pivots blwithin the bifurcat'ed ends of the levers Pare Wipers R andthe drop of these Wipers is limited bynoses d extended therefrom to come in contact with the loweren'ds of said levers. In order to insuret'he drop of the wipers,'l prefer to have the latter oppose thevfree portions of bowsprings e attached to the adjacent levers;

Vibratory movement is imparted to the ernor common to various typesof'stationary wrist-plate G by means of a rod S under control of the engine eccentric, and the operation of the valve-gear in connection with said wrist-plate will be best'understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 3, respectively illustrating the aforesaid wrist-plate at halt' throw in one direction and at nearly full throw inthe opposite direction. In the same figures I illustrate one valve in its cut oit and open positions and the other valve in itstravel` toward full open and subsequently eut-oit, but for convenience in the matter of description we will assume the showing-in said figures to represent several positions ot' a singlenvalveland the action of the parts constituting its individual gear.

Assuming that one of the wipers R has its full area of contact with the yrelative pallet,

L, and the pendulum arm Ocarrying. said` wiper is moving in its working direction as shown at the right of Fig. 2,v then the power exerted against said pallet will be communicated to the primary actuating device of the valve to cause a quick opening of the same.

Vhile the pendulum arm is on its forward throw there is pivotal movement of the pallet in a direction to pass out of contact with the wiper, and the proportions and relativearrangement of the links connecting said arm and the pallet-lever with the wrist-plateare such that when the aforesaid arm reaches the limit of its throw there will still be travel of said pallet on its pivot, and the primary contact of the aforesaid wiper and palletbeing such as to cause a full opening of the valve, the latter will remain in openfposition until said contact is broken by the completion of the full throw of said pallet lever andthus steam will follow the engine-piston throughout the greater portion of its stroke, even` oi mechanism. Should the momentum of` the engine increase up to the point that the governor brings the wiper in such position` as not to come into working contact with the pallet, the valve must remain closed, and from the foregoing it will be readily understood that there may be a variable intermediate action of said wiperand consequent positive governor-controlled cut-0E of said valve at practically any point within the limits of the piston stroke, whereby I economize in the use of steam and maintain a uniform speed of the engine.

At the left of Fig. 3 the valve is shownfull open and the pallet about to trip away from `ers at the bottom of the same.

the wiper and permit the automatic cut-oft of said valve, after which the reverse movement of thewrist-plate will bring the pendulumarm back to its normal position this movement being illustrated at the left of Fig. 2 and the right of Fig. 3. In consequence of this movement the wiper rides back'over the pallet and the latter is returned to normal position in the path of said wiper about the time the wrist-plate completes its reverse movement, as is clearly illustrated at the right ot Fig. 3, said valve having remained closed duringthe time required to effect the latter goperationot' the parts under control of said `wrist-plate and the governor.

As herein shown the wrist-plate connecting rod S is joined to a crank 'I on the engineframe and this crank is also joined to another rod U adjustably connected to the ring W surrounding the eccentric on the crank-shaft of the engine. The rod U is linked to one arm X of a bell crank on .the engine-frame, and the other arm Y of the bell-crankis joined to a rod Z that in turn connects with cranks f on rods g carrying other cranks 71. joined to twin-stems i of the exhaust-valves J of the engine-cylinder. By means of the construction and arrangement of parts just described it will be seen that the action of the rod Z has a movement practcallyat right angles to the wrist-plate rod S whereby I avoid the necessity for another eccentric and insure the `proper action of the exhaust valves in conjunction with the supply-valves, this movement being best understood by referenceto Fig. 7, wherein a supply valve and exhaust valve are shown full open on opposite sides of the piston, the other valvesbeing full closed.

The proportions and range of movement of each exhaust valve are such that `it will have some travel after being opened or closed in order to compensate for the throw of the eccentric, aud as a matter of preference there aretwo exhaustports at each end of the cylinder governedby av slotted valve such as is shown in detail by Fig. 9.

The slide valves herein shown are four in number, there being two supply-valves and `two exhaust-valves, the former valves being at the top ofthe engine-cylinder and the oth- Each of the several valves is asegment of a circle. Consequently the" face and seat. of said valves only extend partly around the engine-cylinder, their plane ot` contact being parallel to the fboreof. said cylinder. Itis also to be observed thatthe` supply-valves act independent of the exhaust-valves and that no auxiliarydevices or means are necessary to make said valves ,steam-tight.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

IOO

IIO

1. The combination of the engine-cylinder,

its su pply valves, their primary actuating devices, `the vibratory wrist-plate, pallets having pivotal connection with said valve-actuating devices and link-connection with said Wrist-plate, pendulum arms also linked to the aforesaid Wrist-plate, and governor controlled wipers carried by said arms to have variable intermittent contact with the pallets, substantially as set forth:

2. The combination of the engine-cylinder, its supply valves, their primary actuating devices, the vibratory wrist-plate, pallets having pivotal connection with said valve-actuating devices and link-connection with said wrist-plate, pendulum arms also linked to the aforesaid wristplate, and governor-controlled spring-resisted wipers carried by said arms to havel variable intermittent contact with said pallets, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of an engine-cylinder, its supply-Valves, their primary actuating devices, the vibratory wrist-plate, the governor, and a gear for each valve that comprises a pair of variable intermittent contact devices under control of said wrist-plate and governor but movable fora time in the same direction proportionate to their area of contact to automatically regulate the opening of the relative valve, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of an enginecylinder, its supply-Valves, cranks connected to the Valve stems, slotted push-bars connecting these cranks with others parallel thereto, the

vibratory wrist-plate, pallets pivoted within the push-bars and providedwith lever-arms in linkconnection with said wrist plate, standards rising from said cylinder pendulum arms pivoted to the standards and also linked 4to the aforesaid wrist-plate, lateral pivots on frame, the eccentric having ring-and-rod connection with the crank, a bell-crank in linkconnection with the eccentric-rod, and the exhaust-valves in working connection with the bell-crank, substantially as set forth."

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

xM. B. COPE.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, H. G. UNDERwooD. 

